


jewel of the sea

by moegan



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band), 5SOS, Youngblood - 5 Seconds Of Summer (Album)
Genre: F/M, Fantasy AU, Historical AU, Innocent Luke, Innocent Luke Hemmings, Pirate AU, Shy Luke Hemmings, and also sad backstory, and bashful luke who just is in love with the human, but be ready for a love triangle, mermaid au, posting it in parts to try to get myself to finish it, this is the mermaid!luke au and pirate!yn au that nobody asked for
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-28
Updated: 2020-01-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:06:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22443793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moegan/pseuds/moegan
Summary: “Mermaids,” he hears your voice float down from above him. He tilts his head back, disguising his body in the inky water up to his nose. Your hands rest laced together, dangling over the edge of the ship, your body tucked into the small window of your quarters. You shake your head and a gentle laugh makes Luke’s heart skip a beat, “Mermaids.”Something inside of him wants to burst out of the water and tell you that it’s true – mermaids are real! He wants you to look at him and see what all he can do. He wants to show you how he can manipulate water and talk to other sea creatures. He wants to have you watch, and be in awe as his fangs unsheathe from his gums. He wants so desperately for you to admire his navy, glittering scales in the moonlight. He would sing for you, too, if he ever got the chance.However, before he can reveal himself, your boat shoves off from shore and you’ve closed your window.
Relationships: Luke & Reader, Luke Hemmings & You, Luke Hemmings/You, Luke/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 22





	jewel of the sea

**Author's Note:**

> here is the mermaid!luke and pirate!reader au that nobody specifically asked for but i started writing a year ago and came up with a 17K+ wip to satiate the ache. 
> 
> drop a kudos and a comment and let me know if you'd like another part :)
> 
> DISCLAIMER: no, i don't speak pirate. be gentle with me. or else i'll gut ye like a halibut on fish tuesday.

Luke has been watching your ship for weeks.

You tend to stay around the radius of his pod, making it easy for him to swim a few hundred miles to watch you conquer and plunder before anyone even knows he’s missing. He perches on a rock and gazes longingly at the shore, your sword waving around in the air as you command your crew to take what they can.

Oh, did he forget to mention you’re a pirate?

Yes, he loves watching you hop from village to village, town to town, and taking over. You are fierce, brave, and… a _woman_.

A female pirate is unheard of, let alone a female pirate _captain_.

Luke looks over his shoulder and down to his tail, pondering if there might possibly be a way for him to meet you, for him to have your attention for just a moment. He wonders if his golden hair and shimmering navy scales would capture your eyes; if his voice and bright blue eyes would be enough to hold your gaze. You’re beautiful, is it possible you’d think he was beautiful too?

He looks up, breaking himself from his subconscious thinking to realize that you and your crew are boarding the ship with your arms full of loot. There are explosions in the distance, buildings falling into wreckage.

Your voice echoes in the air, “C’mon, ya’ filthy bastards - get aboard ‘fore I leave ye behind!”

Luke can’t help but smile at the sound of your voice floating through the balmy night air. It’s sometime in Summer, and you’re headed to warmer waters if he calculated your course just right. You’re about to leave the radius of his pod, and he’s not sure he can bear to let this charade end. He dips himself back into the water, allowing his body to sink until he is covered up to his chest. Luke pushes himself forward using his tail to your ship, glancing through the posts of the deck as you walk to your Captain’s Quarters.

“That was great, Ollie,” he hears you speak to your second-in-command. “We took enough from that disgusting town to help Aldbourne with their silver supply.”

“Esterwind ‘as always had more than enough,” Ollie responds, running her hands over the various trinkets in your quarters. “It’s about time they give back to the less fort’nate.”

Luke’s head bobs above water, his fingertips grasping tightly to the edge of your ship, the wood harsh under his grip. He smiles at the sound of your voice, biting on his lower lip to keep himself quiet.

You shake your head – he knows because he can see the edge of your braid hanging out of the ship’s window – and tut your tongue against your teeth, “Make sure the crew get ‘nough to eat. These last few weeks have been tough.”

“Did you hear that one ‘scuse of a man talking about a mermaid pod near these waters?” Ollie speaks, perking Luke’s ears. His heart rams against his ribs, his body suddenly cold although the water is nothing if not perfect in temperature. The younger girl chuckles, “Mermaid tears go for a good price, Capt’n. Have you thought about checking it out?”

“I _did_ hear him, Ollie,” you muse, but your voice is quieter now – so quiet that Luke has to rely on his enhanced above-water senses to make out what you’re saying. “He star’ed chokin’ on his own gold coin ‘fore I could ask ‘im where the pod was.”

Ollie laughs, high and mighty, “You’ve got’to be kiddin’ me, Cap! Mermaid tears could set us up for life. And mermaid _scales_?” She chuckles again, this time a little darker. “I’d pluck ‘em off their dead body for you if it meant we’d make a bucket of doubloons.”

“Mermaids are _extinct_ ,” you correct her, your tone firm. He hears your chair scrape against the baseboards of the ship and he dips his head further down to hide underneath the planks of the ship. He can see your flags waving in the night, clouds dipping behind the large swath of fabric.

“Why else would the puny lad tell us that, except for if it were true?” Ollie argues with you. “I mean, he-”

Luke hears the metallic _ZING_ of a sword being drawn from its sheath.

“A man without honor who is begging for his life would tell any lie to save his skin,” you seethe, your sword against Ollie’s neck. “Now, don’t ask me about this again.”

Luke can barely make out when Ollie apologizes to you, but he does hear your door shut rather forcefully after she’s made her exit. In his heart, he knows he should be frightened to be here, but somehow he feels safer here than with his pod.

“Mermaids,” he hears your voice float down from above him. He tilts his head back, disguising his body in the inky water up to his nose. Your hands rest laced together, dangling over the edge of the ship, your body tucked into the small window of your quarters. You shake your head and a gentle laugh makes Luke’s heart skip a beat, “Mermaids.”

Something inside of him wants to burst out of the water and tell you that it’s _true_ – mermaids are _real_! He wants you to look at him and see what all he can do. He wants to show you how he can manipulate water and talk to other sea creatures. He wants to have you watch, and be in awe as his fangs unsheathe from his gums. He wants so desperately for you to admire his navy, glittering scales in the moonlight. He would sing for you, too, if he ever got the chance.

However, before he can reveal himself, your boat shoves off from shore and you’ve closed your window.

“You know _exactly_ what they would do if you were to reveal yourself to them!” his mother shouts, her cheeks pink as she throws her hands in the air. “They would make you suffer as they rip your scales out and take your tears as you writhe in pain. And then they’d keep you alive just long enough for you to produce new scales and the process would begin all over again!”

“Mom!” Luke shouts, swimming closer to her as she tries to distance herself from her youngest son. “I know what I’m doing, okay? Jack was just being a little shrimp to try and get me in trouble.”

“I don’t like that you’re visiting this ship,” she tells him again, flicking her tail toward her son to send a current his way. Luke’s body is pushed back about ten feet at the force, but he’s in front of her seconds later.

“Mother,” he drags out the word, rolling his cerulean eyes back into his head before facing her again, “I am of age now. I was given permission to leave the pod and explore the ocean. Just be happy I come home every night.”

His mother is swift to approach him, forcing herself forward with the flip of her fin, “Lucas Robert, you listen to me. I lost your father to humans. I won’t lose you too.”

“She is a _good human_!” Luke argues in your favor. He sighs, watching his mother hold back the tears in her eyes. She shakes her head and reaches to touch his cheek with her palm, “Darling, she’s a _pirate_. You know what pirates do to merfolk like us. I can’t bear to lose you. As much as you hate it, you’re my baby. You’re all I have left.”

He leans into his mother’s warm touch, taking a deep breath and conjuring his most reassuring tone forward, “Mother, you won’t lose me. I’ll be careful.”

“I love you, dear,” she paddles upward to kiss his forehead. “Please be safe.”

“Castleberry has the best mead and mutton,” Ollie mentions, leaning into the Captain’s doorway. “We could stop there overnight.”

You sigh, running your hands over your hair. It is rather matted, and you could use a wash in either a saloon or an inn. The slow back-and-forth of the waves rocking against the ship has gotten old after eighteen months at sea.

“Okay,” you give in. “But don’t tell the crew I gave in so easily. They’ll think they can hornswaggle me or somethin’.”

Ollie grins at you, your incident from all those weeks ago forgotten, “Sounds a’right, Cap. I’ll get them together and let them know we’ll be makin’ landfall. Ye’ think that we can dock with Jameson again?”

“If the bloodsucker is still alive,” you chuckle, looking out your window at the land of Castleberry just a few miles ahead. “Lass was always getting’ ‘erself into too much trouble.”

Turns out Lily Jameson _is_ still alive and she does let you dock your boat around the edge of a cliff that no one in the town every checks. Taking turns, your crew use her small rafts to paddle one another to shore.

“If you’re not back to ship by two sunrises from now, I won’t be runnin’ a rig when I say I’ll leave you marooned here on this isle,” you tip your hat to your crew, eyeing each of them with your harshest glower. “Savvy?”

They all nod their heads in return, echoing: “Savvy, Cap!”

You crack a smile and pat the closest one to you on the back, “Go, then! Enjoy the drink and the gamble. I’ll see you all in two days.”

The mass of them walk down toward the town, Ollie still by your side. You look down at her, “You can go, if you like.”

“I’m not going without you, Cap’n,” she smirks, “you need to enjoy the drink and the gamble for once. ‘Been too long since you got a ‘lil squiffy.”

You chuckle and wrap your arm around her shoulder, ignoring the odor lingering on you as you do so to kiss her on the temple. “Ah yes, ‘bout time we enjoyed the wine and women, ‘aye?”

And oh, do you enjoy.

You give the bartender enough silver to keep his mouth shut about refills. You make sure to tuck a golden coin down your waitress’ bosom. She thanks you with a wink and a curtsy, but you already have a flask of rum touching your lips to distract you from her bashful eyes. Ollie laughs as she claps your shoulder but before the game of cards can be started, she’s made her way off to some other’s room.

You make a little money off of the others in the room, and after while the rum has worn off and made you nothing but sleepy. You excuse yourself to the inn upstairs, sloppily climbing up the steps.

There is a warm bath drawn for you when you make it to your room, steam still rolling off the top of the water. Another flask of what better be rum is on the table beside the bed, and the window is wide open, letting in the cool night air.

You wash your body until the water goes cold and the suds lose their bubbles. It feels nice to be able to run your fingers through your hair again, for what feels like the first time in weeks. You make sure to put the products laid out for you in it, making it smell like that of the tropical island you wish to retire to one day.

You sleep easy that night and breakfast is warm on the table the next morning. You tip the waitress again, but this time in her hand instead of her breast. She takes it with the same pink tinge on her cheeks, but this time you’re courteous enough to smile in return. Meat and eggs adorn your plate, something hot in your cup that wakes you up and gets you ready for the day.

The night repeats itself.

You find your veins dripping with rum, your lips sticky sweet from the drink. You’ve won a few hands of cards, and so you take your gold and walk away. You need to clear your head anyway, so it’s a good time to quit. You have a ship to captain in the morning.

Your legs take you to the docks, because no matter what, the sea can always calm your mind.

You’re still nursing a flask of rum when you decide to take a seat on the end of the dock, your feet dangling over the edge. You dip your toes into the water, watching as the ripples reach outward until they dissipate in the large body of water. The sun is long gone, the moonlight glowing atop the sea, the stars glittering in the blackened sky. You hum a song to pass the time, and between breaths you take long drags from your flask and wonder what the gods are up to at this time of night.

It is only when another ripple from far off in the water catches your eye do you sober up.

Your posture turns rigid and you put the flask down on the wooden dock, slowly. You lean upward to try and see further in the distance if even possible. All the while, your fingers are inching backward to try and locate your dagger.

“I am _not_ dying drunk on a dock,” you murmur to yourself, eyes wide as you grab your dagger from behind you.

Just as you brandish it, a figure pops out of the water.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you!”

You point your dagger in the direction of the person now rising from the water. At first, you’re unable to tell if it is male or female. Their hair runs long, curly to their shoulders, and their eyes are a crystalline sort of blue. His voice is distinctly male, and so you watch as his chest rises out of the water to reveal toned pectorals instead of full breasts.

Somehow his hair is perfectly dry, his skin glinting with water droplets in the moonlight. He smiles up at you from where he’s bobbing in the inky water and you can’t help but notice how nice his teeth are.

“Wh-Why are you naked?” you ask him, never wavering with your dagger. You can’t hold it as steady as usual thanks to the alcohol swimming in your system. Your eyes rake over his bare torso. He giggles at your question and cocks his head as if to study you better, “I’m _not_ naked.”

You grit your teeth and narrow your eyes, forcing yourself to focus, “Why ‘re you laughin’ at me? As if I won’t gut ‘ya right now.”

“No, no,” his eyes widen as he throws his hands up in the air, still floating in the waiter below the waist. “I-I’m sorry, miss.”

“Don’t call me _miss_ ,” you scoff, tucking your dagger into your waistband. This person does _not_ seem to pose a threat, what with calling you miss and apologizing a dozen times already. You sigh, “And what are you doing in the water this late? Don’t you know this is when the sharks come out?”

“Sharks hate my scent,” he chuckles, laying on his back and floating around in front of your feet. He’s bare up to his belly, but it’s obvious he has something covering his lower half. He spits water in the air and then turns to look at you, “They usually stay far away from us. We should be fine.”

You raise a brow, unsure as to what this fellow is talking about. Your head spins as you try to follow him in the circles he’s swimming. You swallow and right yourself, “I-I’m sorry, lad, what do ya’ mean _yer scent_?”

“Oh,” he laughs again and for some reason you think you like the sound. He’s now floating upside in the water, his shoulders and below covered by the sea. “I’m sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Luke.”

You nod, still looking skeptical. After all, why are strangers babbling about sharks and scents after dark like this unless he’s just as drunk as you are? He smiles and you watch as he floats away from you. You feel your hands grip the edge of the dock to try and anchor yourself to the real world because the more this man speaks, the less sense the universe seems to make. And the closer you are to seriously considering the pledge to sobriety.

The water around his waist ripples as he flips his body, tucking his torso into his legs as he does a flip in the air. As soon as his upper half is gone, his lower half appears and you _swear_ you’re hallucinating because you think you just saw a tail flapping around in midair. Luke resurfaces and blows out a breath, water droplets stinging your face as he bobs in the water.

“Bloody ‘ell,” you mutter, your hand over your mouth. You look back and forth, down at your hands to across at his body, shaking your head and trying to make sense of the whole thing. “No way, there’s no way. What the ‘ell? I’m dreamin’, I’m dreamin’ this whole thing up.”

“No you’re not!”

The young boy swims closer to you, pushing himself up to rest his forearms against the dock, his chin atop his wrists. Luke smiles up at you, a childlike innocence you only wish you still had is in his eyes, “I’m a mermaid!”

“Gotta’ be kiddin’ me,” you press the heels of your hands into your eyes, “I’m so drunk, I’m seein’ things. I gotta drink some water.”

“You’re not seeing things,” he giggles again, his smile wide and his eyes sparkling in the moonlight. “See!”

Once again, for _sure_ this time, he flicks the back half of his body up to the surface and you see a navy blue mermaid tail flutter, the tips of his fins causing the water to ripple.

You shake your head, panic rising in your throat, “You’ve got to get out of ‘ere.”

“I’ll be fine,” Luke smiles naively, “You’re here, you won’t let them get to me.”

“Yer _not_ _real_ ,” you repeat, squinting your eyes until you see stars. You blow a deep breath out of your mouth and take in an even deeper one. “I’m drunk. T’at’s it! I’m squiffy and I don’t know what ta’ ‘ell is goin’ on.”

He tilts his head again and it reminds you of the dogs you see when you dock in El Toreno, the innocent animals just looking for an answer. Yet, here you are, no answers to be found. Luke is smiling again as he looks up at you from the water, “I don’t know what you just said, but I _am real_. I just can’t come out of the water.”

“God, that rum was strong,” you mutter, ignoring him because he’s _not real_. You press your fingertips to your temples and massage the area, forcing yourself to believe that this is all a lie, a lie dreamt up by alcohol and sleep deprivation. “I-I just need ‘ta sleep. That’s all.”

Luke reaches up and wraps his fingers around your ankle, “No! I’ve been waiting so long to talk to you! Please.”

“W-What?” you stutter, leaning your body away from him. You narrow your eyes at him as your hand steadies in midair, “Boy, do I need ‘ta get my dagger out again?”

His eyes widen and you notice how _blue_ they really are. Luke shakes his head and releases your ankle, tucking his hands back against his belly underwater. He sighs, “I-I’m sorry.”

“S’okay.”

Your attention is drawn away by someone yelling your name at the top of the hill near the saloon. You look over your shoulder to see Ollie waving her hands in the air, calling you back to the building. You smile at your eccentric second-hand but the realization as to what she would do if she found this _mermaid_ floating in front of you makes your throat dry.

“Luke, ya need to-”

When you’ve turned to face him, the water in front of you is still and there is no longer a mermaid floating a few feet away from you.

For some reason, your chest deflates.

It’s six weeks later and you’ve chocked up your meeting with “Luke the Mermaid” to nothing but a drunken stupor tainted with a lack of sleep. Maybe one of those waitresses dumped something in your drink, trying to get a better tip. You’re not sure what it was, but he hasn’t shown back up since then.

You’ve stopped your crew in _Drorvad_ , a place known for its exquisite taste in women and gold.

You’re all expected to have stopped for a generous twenty-four hours, and you’ve decided to take your time to enjoy a bath in the lake that is just upstream from the ocean. It’s clear as can be, and you can’t see any large fish that may want to nibble your bits, so you strip free from your clothing and dive in head first.

The water is cool, refreshing after your hot, dry days at sea. You spend a few moments meandering around in the water and enjoying the time to yourself before you paddle back to the shore and break out your washing supplies. You take out the soap for your hair first, massaging it into your scalp for longer than necessary.

You’re going to grab your toothbrush when you notice a ripple at the edge of the water where the lake edges to meet the ocean. There is a small waterfall there, so you choose to ignore the sighting and continue brushing your teeth with the paste you acquired while your crew was stopped in Edenborough.

You don’t see the next ripple a few feet away because you’re too busy watching the way the water glides over your hand, warping it with the waves.

“Hello again!”

You shout, dropping your brush from your mouth, foam framing your lips.

“What ta’-“ you shriek, realizing the same mermaid from your drunken night in Castleberry has resurfaced a few feet in front of you. You groan, wondering if maybe there was _something_ in that paste that’s making you hallucinate.

“I-I’m sorry, he maneuvers backward a few feet so he’s not crowding you. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

You splash some water into your mouth to wash it out, setting your brush back against the shore atop your clothes. You shake your head and run a hand over your face, trying your hardest to make sense of all this. After a moment, you glance up at him, “So, you are real?”

Luke giggles again, like the sound of church bells, “Yeah! I told you that the last time.”

“God,” you rub at your cheeks until they feel raw. “Can’t believe this is ‘appenin’.”

“Well, believe it!” Luke swims closer to you.

When you look down to see his tail perfectly clear in the water below you, that’s when you remember that you are, in fact, _stark_ _naked_.

You immediately throw your hand in his face, smacking him on the cheek, “What ta’ hell do ye think yer doing, walking-er, uh- _swimming_ in on me like this! I oughta cut yer eyes out!”

Luke is laughing when he reaches up and grasps your wrist gently, “You talk kinda funny when you’re flustered.”

“ _Flustered_?” you repeat, tasting the word on your tongue. You smack your hand around on the ground, trying desperately to grasp for your sword. “I-I’m not-“

“Why are you so worried about being naked, anyway?” Luke tilts his head, not distracted at all by your bare breasts. He shrugs, flipping his fin underwater, “A lot of mermaids go around without coverings. Some of them wear seashells to hide their chests, but most don’t care.”

You are able to find your dagger and you’re pointing it at his jugular while wrapping your free arm around your chest to keep yourself covered.

“Wh-Wh-Why are you-” he stutters, his brows risen as confusion sets in his irises. His head cocks to the side, away from your knife. You squint at him, unsure as to why he’s confused, “What do ya’ mean? I’m not a mermaid, I’m a _human_ , and we don’t walk ‘round naked.”

Luke giggles, looking up at the sky, “Well they’re not _bad_ breasts. I’ve seen worse.”

You dig the tip of your dagger into his neck, ready to draw blood the second he oversteps. You watch as he takes in a deep breath, his eyes widening.

“Wh-What?” Luke manages, holding his hands up in surrender. “I-I-that was a _compliment_! Geez, you humans are so _touchy_.”

“Being _touchy_ is exactly what I’m trying to avoid,” you seethe, narrowing your eyes. You pull your dagger back slightly, “Can I trust you to keep your hands to yourself?”

Luke nods, “Yes ma’am.”

As you back away, placing your dagger back on the lake shore, Luke begins to play with the water at his fingertips, “Some of the mermaids like to use their breasts to seduce men of the sea before they gouge out their eyes and eat their livers.”

Before you can pick your dagger back up, he cracks a grin and laughs at his own joke, “I’m _kidding_! I’m not like that.”

“Oh, great,” you mutter, feeling yourself break into a sweat even though you’re doused in cool water. You lick your lips and look across the water at him, naïve as he swims in front of you. You can’t help but smile, “So you’re _not_ going to gouge out my eyes and eat my liver?”

“Nope!”

You roll your eyes and lean your shoulders back against the lakeshore, your hair covering your chest underwater. You cross your legs and take a deep breath to keep yourself afloat, “So, if you’re real – are there others?”

“Yes! Where else do you think I came from?” he laughs as if it should be obvious. Luke dunks himself underwater, running his hands through his hair before resurfacing. He taps his fingertips on the ripples he’s just created, “My pod is a couple hundred miles out. I have to swim home before too much longer, or else my mom will get a little nervous that _you_ have done something to _me_.”

“I’m sorry – _a few hundred miles_?” You choke on your own words, your eyes widening as he looks up at you. He’s actually sort of pretty, you think, with his pale hair and jeweled eyes. You wonder if maybe he _is_ putting you into a trance before he takes all of your valuable parts and eats the rest of you as a quick snack.

“Yeah, it’s not very far from here! If you could breathe underwater, I’d take you,” he smiles, moving his tail under the water. At certain angles, his scales catch the rays just right so you can see the navy glittering in the sunlight.

“Well, definitely can’t do that, lad,” you hum, wrapping your arms around your chest to keep yourself covered by force of habit alone. You tilt your head downward, trying to get a better look at him as he twirls around in the water. “You aren’t scared of me?”

“Why would I be scared of you when I could easily gouge out your eyes and eat your liver?” he snickers, resting his hands on his hips underwater. Luke cocks his head to the side, his golden curls brushing his shoulder, “I know what humans do to merfolk, if that’s what you’re insinuating. Trust me, my mother won’t let me forget. I get a lecture every time I come back from shipwatching.”

“ _Shipwatching_?”

Luke nods and swims a little closer to you, and for some reason you find your heart racing. You blame it on your nude body.

“I like to swim to your ship and watch you and your crew,” he admits, growing bashful. The pink on his cheeks is obvious, and the adorable way he looks down at his tail instead of at you makes you smile.

You grin, “Didn’t realize I had vis’tors.”

“Oh, just me,” he clarifies, shaking his hands. His throat bobs, “I-I haven’t told anyone else about where to find you and your ship.”

“Is that so?”

Luke swallows again and his cheeks darken, “N-No, I haven’t.”

Before you can give him a hard time about the blush on his cheeks and how he bats his eyelashes, you hear Ollie’s voice from over the hill.

“You have to go,” you tell him frantically, forgetting about covering your chest as you shove on his shoulders. “Ollie can’t know you exist.”

“Oh, Ollie!” Luke smiles, “I know who-”

You groan and push on his chest, “Shut’up and go!”

He hesitates and you can hear Ollie shouting for you, her voice getting closer. Your heart is beating loudly in your ears as you continue pushing on his body. Luke bites his lip and then blurts, “Can I see you later?”

“Yes, yes, now go!”

In a flash, he’s underwater and out of sight.

You breathe easy and turn to look Ollie in the eyes, “Can’t I get some time to myself?”

She puts her hands in the air, “I-I’m sorry Cap’n.”

“You should be,” you sternly speak, trying your hardest to keep your heartrate down. You sigh and stand to your full height, wrapping the sheet around you to dry off your body. “How is everyone?”

“They’re doing a’right. A couple o’ the crew are ready to haul out, Cap’n. Getting’ antsy, they are,” she tells you, taking off her hat and holding it in front of her body.

Ollie was your first recruit all those years ago when you had to slaughter pirates just to make a name for yourself. She was there in your first dinghy. She was the first pirate you ever split booty with. She’s been there since the start, but ever since you’ve grown a reputation, she’s taken a back seat. Ollie is probably the only pirate who can misspeak to you and not have her hand cut off immediately. She’s escaped many floggings and plank-walkings because she’s the closest thing you have to a friend.

“Well, let’s give ‘um something to do then, aye?” you ask her with a smile, pulling your boots back on. Your hat fits firmly on your head as you rope your stuff together into your bag. You sling it over your shoulder and together you walk towards the town.

You throw a quick glance over the horizon, praying he got out in time.


End file.
